The Waffle Pact
by Almost Lucid
Summary: Haruhi is taking a possibly crazy girl to the year-end ball to clear up her dad's debt. Tamaki must find a way to get her out of this as his feelings awake. Kyouya, innocently dragged into this dilemma, is mistaken as a swindler by a just young waitress.
1. C1: Tamaki's Despair

Chapter ONE –Tamaki's Despair

**Chapter ONE –**_Tamaki's Despair_

!1!

"Neh Kyouya, have you heard?" Tamaki poked Kyouya's shoulder with a pen during the self-study class.

"What?" Kyouya acknowledged without once looking up from his book.

"About the rumors involving the annual ball?"

"I heard from a senpai that the annual ball is the ultimate test for couples!"

"Um hm…," Kyouya decided not to burst his friends bubble by telling him that he had already heard all the silly rumors.

"I heard that couples destined for each other will be able to be together for the rest of their lives if they attend the ball together. However, if the people aren't meant for each other, bad things will occur to break the couple up, and the two would hate each other for life."

"That's harsh," Kyouya smirked at the irrationality of the story. Only hopeless romantics would believe in something so absurd.

"Yea, I heard this curse was placed on the ball ten years ago when there was still a witchcraft club. One of the club members fell in love with a senior and thus placed a spell on the ball to make true couples stay together forever, believing that they were a true couple. Unfortunately, the two were not meant to be. Her bitterness drove her to place another spell to curse those who are not meant for each other…"

"There was never a witchcraft club…"

"Do you remember Tsuyoshi-senpai and Kita-senpai?" Tamaki recalled, not paying attention to what Kyouya said. "They were so close before they went but right after the ball, they had a very nasty breakup. They just weren't meant to be…"

"That's because Tsuyoshi-senpai was dating two other girls and all three girls happened to meet at the ball—"

"Oh, do you remember Takeda-senpai and Yamamoto-senpai? They were fighting before but when they went to the ball, they miraculously made up. I hear they're engaged."

"They were fighting because Takeda-senpai spent too much time playing video games. It was a simple solution…"

"Also, Maeda-san and Hiroshi-san were complete strangers before they met and fell in love at the ball. They're still going strong."

"Their friends introduced them to each other."

"Get this, five years ago, another couple came out safe and are now happily married with two children and another on the way…"

"Your point?"

_Doooooo—t!_ The sound of the dismissal bell interrupted their winding conversation.

"We better get going Kyouya. I have a feeling we'll be having a lot of customers today…" Tamaki grabbed his books and made a bee-line for the door.

!2!

"Hikaru, what are we going to do about the ball?" Kaoru asked Hikaru, as tears brimmed around his eyes.

"Kaoru, we might just have to find separate dates," Hikaru turned his back to his brother as if trying to hide his own emotional breakdown.

"But I want us to go together!" Kaoru embraced him from behind, earning squeals and nosebleeds from voyeurs.

"Society doesn't accept people like us Kaoru. We can't…"

"MOE! It's a double taboo!" the girls swooned.

"Take me! I don't mind if your heart isn't with me!"

"Me too, even if you leave to go to each other, I won't mind!"

"As long as you can be together!" The customers offered, their heart-felt eyes shimmered, like puppies begging for a walk.

"Hikaru, I don't think I can do this," Kaoru looked at him helplessly. "The mere thought of you with someone else is tearing me apart!" Hikaru grabbed Kaoru's hands and placed it over his heart. The girls swallowed their breath in anticipation.

"My silly Kaoru, don't you know that you're the only one in here?"

"MOE!!"

!3!

"Hunny-kun, you're so lucky!" one customer sighed to her designated hosts.

"Hm? Lucky?" Hunny looked up at her with his big innocent eyes as he put his cream stained fork down on his plate.

"You can eat all the sweets you want without worrying about dieting…" she answered staring longingly at his slice of cake.

"You're on a diet? Why? You look fit," Hunny said off the top of his head.

"I want to fit into this dress for the ball," she smiled just thinking about the dress.

"Lea-chan sure is—ack!" Hunny dropped his creamy fork on his shirt.

"Oh my, Hunny-kun you have cream all over your shirt!"

Mori appeared wordlessly with a handkerchief and began to wipe away the mess. He was grooming him like a child and it drove the girls crazy. There was something about his silence that charmed the female population.

!4!

"Tamaki-kun, I was wondering—"

"Please go with me to the ball!"

"No, go with me!"

"You have a boyfriend!" Tamaki-kun, go with me!"

"Ladies, ladies! Shhhh…" Tamaki hushed the bickering girls with a finger across his lips. "My apologies love, but I simply cannot take everyone…as much as is breaks my heart."

"You can!"

"That would be unfair to everyone, neh Haruhi—"

"It would be my pleasure," Haruhi bowed to a customer.

"See, Haruhi agrees—wait…"

"AH! OH. MY. GOD!! Thank you so much, Haruhi-kun!"

"Thank Haruhi-kun for what?" Tamaki asked, puzzled by her outburst.

"Haruhi –kun is taking me to the ball!" the girl exclaimed.

"HEH!?" the Hosts stood up; dropping whatever was in their hands. Tamaki blinked twice, unable to digest the words that the girl emitted.

"T-to the ball you say?" Tamaki repeated in a strange tuneless whisper. "I'm fainting—" Tamaki melted to the ground.

"Tamaki-kun!" the girls crowded around Tamaki. "Eh? Where is he?"

Tamaki had somehow made his way out of the crowd without their knowledge. He stood like a ghost from a horror movie, frozen with a strange aura emitting from his being.

"My deepest regret, but we're closing early today," Kyouya announced before the unpredictable president does something rash to scare the customers. "Your unused time will be made up."

!5!

The room was uncomfortably silent. No one knew where to start. Haruhi sat still in her spot, waiting for her interrogation.

"Ha-_ahem_- Haruhi…son…are you really going to take that customer?" Tamaki choked out the best he can manage.

"You were there when I said yes…is there a problem?" Haruhi answered still not getting the fuss.

"A problem!?" Tamaki closed his eyes and takes a deep breath before opening his eyes up again. " Haruhi, you're a girl," Tamaki stated, more confidently this time.

"…and?"

"AND!?" Tamaki closed his eyes again and swallowed hard. "The customer is a girl."

"I know…" Haruhi nodded, suggesting him to carry on.

"You don't see the problem?"

"But to her, I'm a boy," Haruhi reminded. "Besides, you called me 'son' before…"

"But to me, you're a girl—MOM! Tell her!" Tamaki switched the attention to Kyouya, hoping no one caught that last thing.

Kyouya pushed the bridge of his glasses closer to his face, having been addressed as 'mom' by Tamaki yet again. "If I'm correct, you feel obligated to return the favor to Sakura-san for lending you a pencil during an important test, for returning your wallet when you dropped it, and for when you accidentally spilled coffee on her favorite dress…" Kyouya counted. "It's just the premise of it though. Did I miss anything?"

"Is that is!?" Hikaru snarled in disbelief.

"You don't have to sacrifice yourself for that!" Kaoru reasoned.

"Haru-chan, maybe you can still turn her down," Hunny suggested while Mori nodded in agreement.

"Haruhi, there are many ways you can compensate…" Tamaki lectured. "I'll—_we'll _help you get out of this!"

"May I add that Sakura-san is known for having emotional upheavals," Kyouya interrupted casually. "Like I said before, I only told the very, _very_ basic of her reasons."

"You mean…she's crazy." Hikaru verified

"I wouldn't doubt that possibility," Kyouya concluded

!6!

That night, Tamaki found it immensely difficult to fall asleep. He peered at his alarm clock for the sixteenth time since the moment he laid down on his bed. It has been four hours.

He tried every method known to induce sleep besides taking medication. He tried drinking warm milk with honey but it only made him get up one hour later to relieve himself. He sniffed chamomile sprays hoping aromatherapy would take its toll on him, but he got sick of the scent after two whiffs. He tried counting sheep but Haruhi's face kept appearing on the sheep's head.

"Mou! What's wrong with me!?" Tamaki grabbed a handful of his own golden locks in frustration. "Antoinette, fetch the sandman!" Tamaki ordered the dog at the foot of his bed. "I know what you're thinking, Antoinette…that I can't sleep because of Haruhi, right?" Antoinette whined. "You're wrong." He hugged his knees to his chest. After contemplating for a moment, he moved towards the foot of his bed and cuddled Antoinette. "You're right, are you happy?" Tamaki sighed, suddenly feeling like the loneliest man in the world. How pathetic was he, getting mad at his dog for no reason.

At times as such, talking it out with a friend would really help. Tamaki picked up the phone and dialed hastily.

"Kyooouuu-chan!"

"—_doot…_"

"He hung up…" Tamaki frowned at the phone. "Antoinette, should I call her?" He stared at the golden retriever for a response.

"_Woof_!"

"Not so loud!" Tamaki reprimanded in a whisper. "Why am I asking a dog anyway!? I'm losing it!" He stares at the phone longingly and he finally picked up the phone and dialed Haruhi's number in a maniacal frenzy. After 10 seconds of sanity-pushing rings, Tamaki was about to hang up, but the line got through before he could.

"Hello?" greeted Haruhi's sleepy voice. "Dad?" she asked half conscious.

"Yes, it's dad!" Tamaki cheered. A sense of pride glided over him for a second.

"Tamaki-senpai…" Haruhi subconsciously looked over at the clock. "It's 3:32 AM…"

"Haruhi…" Tamaki wracked his brain trying to think of something to say. Just a moment ago he thought he had everything he wanted to say ready in his mind, but once he heard her voice he forgot everything.

"Can we talk tomorrow?" Haruhi yawned.

"Yea, let's meet at the waffle house near your house tomorrow at 9 AM," Tamaki breathes out in one breath.

Haruhi nodded, her eyes growing heavy again, forgetting she was on the phone.

"Good night," Tamaki hung up. "What do I do, Antoinette!?"

!A/N!

I haven't written in so long that I've forgotten how much average amount for each chapter is for me. I kept telling myself it was 8 pages on Microsoft word, and I just couldn't get to it so I was panicking! Then I looked back at my past works…only 4-5 pages.

After I have thoroughly wiped off the dust on my hands, accumulated from last summer, I began to write in a little spiral notebook, the new ideas.

I tried to fit a little bit of everyone in this chapter because unfortunately (or fortunately for my little brain), this story will focus more on Tamaki, Haruhi, Kyouya, and an oc (which I will introduce in the next chapter).

You don't know how difficult it was for me to develop that summary...I'd say that was the hardest part. It really sucks doesn't it? (sighs) Too little space I was this ( ) close to writing the entire thing in fragments.

Don't expect periodical updates. You'll be disappointed. In the mean time, please leave a review or two. I'd like to hear some thoughts. I'm quite self-conscious about my writing right now because I haven't published any online works for a while. So, save me!


	2. C2: Art of thick skin

Chapter TWO –Art of Thick Skin

**Chapter TWO –**_Art of Thick Skin_

!1!

_Noise—_the sound of countless people talking over each other entered his ears. Cheesy restaurant music played in the background. It irked him. He subconsciously decided to ignore it and tried to continue the dream, so unjustly interrupted, where he was sitting in a quiet room counting money. Just as he was about to get into the dream again, he was interrupted yet again with a loud banging noise originating somewhere within a 30 centimeter radius.

The low-pressure demon chained within the darkest pits of his being stirred awake. Breaking free from the shackles of sanity, the demon swiftly took control. The still lethargic but dangerous Kyouya slammed his fists onto the table. The vibrations from the force of his fists shook the table, causing the chinaware to literally bounce to the floor. Even an idiot would know that the basic laws of physics would govern such a fall, but the demon inside Kyouya was a primitive and aggressive soul, who cared not about science but only of violence and vengeance. The sound of shattering porcelain and spilling water fortunately woke up the cultured and learned soul that was Ootori Kyouya.

He opened his eyes and took in the unfamiliar setting. He felt all eyes on him and his 30 centimeter radius, which at this point was clear of all that was once on the surface of the table as they are now lying pitiless and broken on the floor. By observing his setting he was able to make out the fact that he was in a restaurant specializing in waffles as the menu clearly states 'Waffle House'. There can only be one explanation for why he was sleeping in such a place—Tamaki. Tamaki called him the night before, but he chose not to answer him, knowing very well what he was in for. He must have torn him from the comfort of his bed to assist him in his mind-boggling dilemma with his alleged child, Haruhi. His eyes landed on a piece of napkin with fancy penmanship on the floor, only to confirm that the culprit is indeed his alleged best friend.

_Kyouya,_

_I went to the supermarket with Haruhi to buy ingredients to make daifuku! They're having a sale and you won't believe how cheap everything is! I'll be back after a while. Enjoy the waffles!_

_Love your BFF, _

_Tamaki_

_PS- Hope you were having a great dream, sleepyhead!_

"Sir, you're going to have to pay for the damages," a female voice sounded from the side. Kyouya turned around to face the young golden brown haired waitress.

"How much is it?" Kyouya asked without blinking an eye.

"You broke three plates and three cups," the girl counted the broken items on the floor. "It should come up to about 3500 yen," she answered back, holding her own against the dauntingly calm Kyouya.

Kyouya paused for a second. He didn't have any money on him. He didn't have any sort of communication device to contact anyone, and he was frankly too proud to explain his situation.

"Add it to my bill," he decided to stall for Tamaki to come back, although he doesn't trust that Tamaki would remember. If all else fails, he'll use the restaurant phone. Meanwhile he decided that he had time to spare today. Kyouya sat back down on the seat as if the mess around him was nonexistent. "Can I have a new cup of black coffee?"

!2!

"Tamaki-senpai," Haruhi interrupted Tamaki's fascination with the stacked cans of chicken broth.

"Why, this chicken broth pyramid is quite impressive," Tamaki examines. "Although I wonder if cooking a chicken would produce a soup more luxurious than the contents of this can…I'm buying two!"

"Why did you want to make daifuku again?" Haruhi asked while pushing the shopping cart through the frozen goods aisle.

A bead of sweat traveled down the contours of Tamaki's face.

"Eto….I wanted…I mean—my father is opening up another uh…chain hotel in…in Iceland—yes Iceland, and I wanted to congratulate him with some home-made daifuku," Tamaki stumbled, his arms flailing around nervously. Without thinking, Tamaki grabs the nearest item to fondle in order to ease his fretfulness. With a can of chicken broth being that very item, the entire chicken broth pyramid collapsed.

"_Clean up in aisle one,"_ the loud speaker projected.

Things weren't going the way Tamaki had imagined. He assumed that he would grow the guts to express his thoughts to Haruhi. He even brought mother Kyouya along to make the atmosphere more bearable. Apparently it was too big of an assumption, as daifuku wasn't even in the original plan. He had meant to sincerely ask Haruhi not to go, and to assure her that he would protect her from anything. Yet the words would not make their way out of his throat. In their place, he ended up asking her if she could teach him how to make daifuku. So here they are, at the supermarket buying ingredients.

"Oh," Haruhi said simply, deciding not to expose the fact that she knows he is making it up as it comes. "Tamaki-senpai, there was something else you wanted to say, wasn't there?"

Tamaki stiffened up. She was sharp like a needle today. Tamaki couldn't form a proper sentence from the shock, and merely nodded.

"You wouldn't ask me to teach you how to make daifuku when you have all those cooks working for you," Haruhi explained logically.

Tamaki remained frozen on the spot, his head hanging down, debating whether he should just come out with it. Both ways he would have to tell her because she knows the whole daifuku thing was a cover up and he didn't want to cover a lie with another lie. Besides, it's for Haruhi's own good, right? There's nothing to lose!

"Actually, it's about the year end ball," Tamaki breathed out. He didn't get a response. He was shaking, either from the frozen food or from his own tension. He fumbled with a frozen fish trying to feign a mask of nonchalance...a look that Mori and Kyouya have been blessed with from birth. "Can you not go…with her?" Tamaki shot his head up expecting to connect his eyes with those of Haruhi, but to his dismay, he was locking eyes with none other than air and the cold and empty frozen foods aisle.

"Haruhi?" Tamaki walked down the aisle looking side to side. He finally spotted her at a sale section for baking ingredients. She seemed to have her eye set on a bag of flour placed too high up on the shelf for the five foot beauty to reach. Tamaki stood and stared. He couldn't help thinking she was like the cat preying on the bird in a cage. Then he noticed a middle aged woman at the end of the aisle. Apparently she spotted the last bag of flour. Tamaki knew what she wanted. Without another thought, the two rushed over towards the flour.

Having the advantage of longer appendages, Tamaki won out with ease. He presented the bag of flour to Haruhi proudly.

"Sorry, I must have saw wrong…this isn't the one I'm looking for," Haruhi clarified after taking a better look at the labels.

"H-heh?" A muscle in his jaw twitched as the middle aged woman strolled past him smugly with his flour in her pudgy hands.

!3!

"Sir, if you don't mind me asking, when are you going to pay?" the waitress asked, clearly getting impatient after pouring him the fourth serving of black coffee.

"Soon," Kyouya replied calmly, turning his head back to the newspaper left conveniently by his seat neighbor ten minutes ago. All the other waitresses treated him with great warmth, giggling amongst themselves every time he said something as simple as "Thank you". This waitress on the other hand was different. He found her a tad annoying but not more so than he found her amusing. She seemed like the impatient type. It was as if she had no time to slow down. In fact, he'd praise her for her unwillingness to be deceived if he wasn't the deceiver. She couldn't stand him. He knew he was driving her to boiling point, but it wasn't his fault Tamaki left him here with three orders of waffles—_which he finished by himself_.

She returned five minutes later with a bill placed neatly in the middle of a small rectangular tray. She threw it on the table as politely as throwing allows.

"Sir, we have to start preparing for the lunch hours. You've been here since 8:45 a.m. I think it's about time you pay and leave," she demanded with that permanently serious look on her face. He was amused to say the least, but she wasn't.

"I'm waiting for someone," Kyouya shot her a mocking smirk, challenging her EQ, her values, and her quick wit.

"Sir, I'm beginning to think you don't even have money with you to pay for this meal," the waitress leans down ever so slightly, returning a sardonic grin. After a brief exchange of thunderbolts, the waitress was pulled aside.

"Shioya, what do you think you're doing!?" the manager scolded the waitress from aside.

"This guy not paying for his meal," she shot Kyouya another glare. The manager immediately forced her to turn her head back, and then bowed apologetically to Kyouya.

"Do you have any idea who he it!?"

"A swindler?"

"YOU—" the manager made a fist and gritted her teeth at the waitress. "If it wasn't for your mother, I would have fired you already!" After calming down a bit, she turned towards Kyouya with a completely different look on her face. She had a wide smile plastered on her face, eyes squinted but sparkling. "Ootori-sama, I apologize for her lack of propriety. Shioya Jun, apologize to Ootori-sama!" the manager dragged the waitress back roughly. The waitress, now named Jun widened her eyes in disbelief, her mouth gapping and shutting as if at lost for words. The manager gave her one last threatening look before pushing Jun towards Kyouya.

"Sorry," Jun muttered, obviously unsatisfied with the outcome. Kyouya nodded once in acknowledgement. He looked over to the clock on the wall and decided that he wasted enough time already.

"Ootori-sama, I'm sorry once again," the manager bowed, pushing Jun aside again. "This meal is on me!"

Kyouya bowed slightly. "Thank you. Excuse me, I have some business to attend to," Kyouya walked out of the restaurant casually.

"Wait, you can't do this—" Jun protested. She felt that justice wasn't served and on top of that, she lost a humiliating battle against that pretentious—

"Get back to work!" the manager hissed, interrupting her mental rant.

"I'm going," walked off towards the kitchen area. "Don't let me see that swindler again…"

!4!

He couldn't believe how fast things were progressing. First they were at the waffle house with Kyouya—_speaking of which…_

Then they were shopping together, and now he's at her house about to make daifuku together. Yet, he was still unable to get his message across. He tried, no one can say he didn't try, but call it fate's ill-humor for Haruhi to get distracted by a sale as he was trying.

Tamaki squeezed into Haruhi's tiny home, careful not to stand completely straight for the ceiling was quite low. He seated himself by the tiny table in front of the tiny television set. As small as everything was compared to his own home, he felt just at home…or as a home should feel like…warm and inviting.

Haruhi set a cup of tea in front of Tamaki. The aroma tickled his senses, igniting his inner mind theater to play on its own.

"_Honey, I'm home," Tamaki in his fantasy was a mediocre business man with a warm home and a beautiful wife. _

"_Welcome home, darling," Haruhi in his fantasy rushed out of the kitchen to greet him with a homey looking apron wrapped around her neck and spatula in hand. "How was work today?" she would ask as she helps him unload his briefcase._

"_Oh, I don't even want to talk about it," he would sigh, loosening up his tie. "Another customer demanded a refund for the new toaster oven, so I got in trouble with the boss…you know, my high school classmate, Kyouya…"_

"_My poor baby! Here, let me give you a massage," she would then massage around his neck to loosen up his muscles…_

"Senpai?" Haruhi waves a hand in front of his face. Once he snaps back to reality with the real Haruhi sitting right across from him, a flood of pink swept through his face. "I said, I can't make daifuku with you today," Haruhi repeated what Tamaki didn't hear. Tamaki tilted his head. "I have to go somewhere."

"Where are you going?" With who? Boy or girl? How old is he or she? How long have you known this boy or girl—"

"The police station," Haruhi stated simply. Tamaki gasped dramatically, covering his gapping mouth with his hands.

"Who are you meeting there—no, I can't let you go by yourself! The streets are full of bad people! What if someone robs you? You'll have nothing! Even worse, what if someone kidnaps you!? NO! Knock on wood… I'm going with you!" Tamaki declared, dragging Haruhi by the arm. They were already halfway down the block when Tamaki asked, "Why are you going anyway?"

"I have to pick up my father."

"R-Ranka-san…?"

!5!

After spending the remnants of his day observing the administration system of one of his father's hospitals, Kyouya finally arrived home. He stood by his room door, staring at his unmade bed and unpolished floor. The maids were supposed to change his sheets every Saturday, and he has gotten use to sleeping on fresh sheets every Saturday night. He looked down the hall, unable to spot a maid in sight. He decided to put measures on his own hands and began to pull the messy covers off his bed.

"Ah, let me do it for you!" He paused upon hearing a familiar yet foreign voice. He concluded that it was the new replacement maid.

The young maid scurried over to pick up the job. Kyouya turned around to familiarize the new maid's face. His eyes widened a bit upon seeing who it was that was peeling the sheets off the corners of his mattress.

"I'm sorry for making you wait. My name is Shioya Jun, and I will be substituting for my mother, Shioya Shizuka until—" the young maid finally looked up and the two's eyes met again. "YOU!"

!A/N!

Finally! It took me so long…You see I write the first draft on paper. When I'm finished with the first draft, I move on to the second draft on Microsoft word. The second draft is a more detailed draft, as I can't help adding descriptions and extras. This chapter is slightly longer than the first chapter because I went crazy with some parts, if you noticed the larger paragraphs…I kind of forgot what I had to say…so that's it for now. Check my profile for updates on the progress of each chapter. (If you're interested) Thanks for the reviews, hits, and alerts, by the way.


	3. C3: Rely on me

**Chapter THREE –**_Rely on me_

!1!

"I'm a failure!" a familiar red headed man in drag cried in a drunken frenzy, his head on the table, arms outstretched. "Wher…where are yooou, Kotoko?"

"Hey! Shut it, your daughter's coming!" the irritated police officer snapped at the sluggish cross dresser.

Haruhi and Tamaki arrived at the front desk "I'm looking for a Fujioka Ryo—"

"Here!" the officer waved "Over here! Finally!" Haruhi and Tamaki ran over to the intoxicated okama. "He got drunk, threw up on someone's lawn, and slept there until the owner complained to us," the officer explained to Haruhi.

"Sorry for the trouble," Haruhi bowed to the police officer.

"Ha…Haruhi…Daddy's sorry for…for…BLEH—" He hurled into the wastebasket placed conveniently next to the desk he was leaning on. Then he collapsed onto the desk again.

"Just take him home," the officer waved, defeated. "Keep an eye on him."

Tamaki pulled Ranka to his feet and allowed his weight to lean on him. Haruhi supported her father's other side and the three exited the police station.

"Let me carry him," Tamaki offered.

"No, I can handle it," Haruhi declined, continuing to support her father.

"Haruhi, you can't possibly carry him home by yourself," Tamaki reasoned.

"I can, don't worry. It's late, you should go—"

"Can you rely on me for once?" his tone of voice came out harsher than he intended. Haruhi stared, surprised at his sudden change.

Taking advantage of her state of awe, he placed Ranka on his back and carried him past Haruhi.

"Let me share your burdens," he muttered. He walked forward with the weight of her father on his back. Snapping out of her trance, Haruhi smiled to herself and quickly caught up.

!2!

Tamaki had somehow carried the dead beat weight of Ranka back to Haruhi's house. It was amazing how he lasted through that thirty minute walk when he hadn't even been able to sleep the night before.

"This way," Haruhi directed him into her dad's room and Tamaki carefully placed him on the futon. Tamaki stayed on the floor, attempting to catch his breath. Haruhi came back with a glass of water in which Tamaki finished in one shot. She went out of the room again and she returned a minute later with a large bucket of water and a towel. She pulled the shoes off her father's feet and pulled the covers over his body. She rinsed out the towel and placed it over her father's forehead.

"Senpai, I got you a towel too…" she turned towards Tamaki only to find that he has fallen asleep by the corner. She went into her own room and took her blanket. She went back into her father's room and draped the blanket over Tamaki's shoulders. She took another rinsed towel and began to wipe the sweat and dirt off his face. A small smile gradually crept onto her features. "Rely on you?"

Meanwhile, Ranka groggily opened his eyes in his subconscious state. Upon seeing his daughter wiping his enemy's face so affectionately, he closed his eyes again.

"Nightmare," he mumbled believing it was just a dream.

Sunday morning stated with a bang.

Ranka woke up and the first thing he saw was Tamaki sleeping by the corner.

"Why you little!" Ranka crawled out of his futon and lunged for the sleeping Tamaki.

Tamaki, up by the time he heard "little", screamed as the first thing he saw was Ranka charging at him. On top of that, a 5'o clock shadow had grown on Ranka's face, making a strange combination with his feminine red wig and overnight makeup.

"What are you doing in my house?" Ranka had Tamaki in a headlock. "Better yet, what are you doing in my room? What have you done with my Haruhi!?"

"He—help!" Tamaki gasped.

"Dad," Haruhi disengaged the two. "Tamaki-senpai carried you home from the police station," she explained.

"You did?" Ranka raised a groom brow. "Should have said so earlier," he turned towards the bathroom. "I have something to say to you later," Ranka announced by the threshold of the bathroom door.

Tamaki gulped. HE had no idea what to expect. He looked over to Haruhi for an explanation but she only shrugged. Tamaki instinctively grabbed his own hair in distress. He felt like a prisoner waiting for execution. The sound of running water indicated his temporary sanctuary. Once the water stops, it would mean his judgment time.

The water stopped.

Tamaki choked on a breath of air as Ranka stepped out of the bathroom looking very much like a man, better yet, looking very much like a pissed off father. Ranka's face suddenly brightened as he faced Haruhi.

"Haruhi, my cute daughter, daddy's hungry! Can you buy me breakfast?" He gently pushed her out while he stuffed some money in her pockets. "Look both ways before you cross, and come home safely!"

Once he saw that Haruhi was halfway down the block, Ranka shut the door and the smile on his face dissipated. Without a word, he sat casually across the table from Tamaki.

Tamaki maintained a smile, hoping to get on his good side. About a minute of awkward silence passed with Ranka studying Tamaki's expression the entire time.

"Stop smiling," Ranka demanded. Tamaki immediately obliged, sucking in his cheeks in attempt to keep a straight face. He had to look confident yet respectful. Suddenly Ranka began to chuckle bitterly, slowly evolving into a full blown laugh. Tamaki chuckled nervously, starting to laugh a little more comfortably. "Stop laughing," Ranka demanded between laughs.

"Yes sir," Tamaki sat still on his seat.

"Hey," Ranka's tone suddenly turned serious. "You like my daughter?"

"Heh? Wha—what are you talking about?" Tamaki fidgeted. "I treat her like…like a daughter," he answered with a degree of uncertainty.

"You treat my daughter like your daughter?!" Ranka raised his voice.

"I don't mean it like that…"

"Maybe you would make a better father…"

"Heeeh?! Are…are you hung over?"

"Let me talk, damn it. I give you a compliment and you get all cocky…"

"Sorry."

"Because of my stupidity, Haruhi had to take that…that crazy girl to that prom you're having…"

"Year end ball…" Tamaki's correction dropped to a whisper as Ranka glared at him.

"I owed her dad money two years ago and I wasn't able to pay him back. He found out that his daughter wanted to go to that prom thing with a host and somehow found out that my Haruhi was a host. He told me that if Haruhi agreed to go with the girl, he would forget the money I owe. Haruhi, my lovely and gracious daughter accepted just to take the burden off my back…"

"Does he know that Haruhi isn't a boy?"

"Nope."

"Ranka-san, maybe I can clear your debt…you know…for Haruhi."

"Knowing her personality, Haruhi would never forgive me or you for doing that. I'm only telling you because you have a mind sick enough to get my Haruhi out of this…"

"Sick mind?" Tamaki repeated to himself, debating whether it was meant as a compliment.

"I'll call it even for sleeping in my room if you clear this up." It seems what he doesn't remember doesn't count.

"Yes sir! I will do my best—no, I will definitely save Haruhi!" Tamaki declared confidently. "Ano…Ranka-san, just for reference…am I the only one you told this to? Not even Kyouya knows?"

The look on Ranka's face implied that he was pushing it. "Leave." Ranka pointed to the door.

!3!

Kyouya returned home after yet another tiring day. He headed straight for his room. He reached for the knob but it turned the other way as someone was opening it from the inside. The door opened revealing the new maid.

"What?" she asked monotonously, annoyed by his stare.

"What are you doing?" Kyouya blocked her exit.

"Cleaning," she fought the urge to roll her eyes. Kyouya peered in and saw that his room was indeed cleaned. He stepped aside to let her leave. He then entered the room, closing the door behind him. What he didn't see was the smirk creeping up on the maid's face.

The next day, Kyouya had a very important test to take so he slept fairly early…around 12…His alarm clock was supposed to ring at 6:30.

But it didn't.

His internal alarm somehow woke him up once hour later than he was supposed to wake up. Kyouya had never been late. He threw on his uniform and placed himself in the car, ordering the driver to make it quick.

He was half an hour late for the test. He knew all the answers just by looking but showing all the work was required in this physics test. There was only 15 minutes left and the test was 30 questions long. He'd have to do each problem in 30 seconds in order to make it. He picked up his pen and began scribbling formulas like a mad scientist. His mind was on turbo and the friction between pen and paper was creating smoke. He was writing so fast that the people around him could only stare in absolute horror. He was infallible. He was a genius. The bell rang and Kyouya was finished. He placed it onto the teacher's desk. The teacher's awestruck face was evidence of his amazement.

!4!

After school, Tamaki called for an emergency host club meeting sans Haruhi. He explained to them that Haruhi was obligated to go in order to clear a debt.

"We can just pay it off for her," Hikaru suggested.

"You know how stubborn Haruhi could be. She'll never accept it," Tamaki rephrased Ranka's explanation.

"Let's not forget the girl she's taking is crazy," Kaoru pointed out.

"In addition, we wouldn't want to anger her parents. They're members of the school board," Kyouya added.

Mori's ear twitched ever so slightly.

"Takashi?" Hunny asked reading his body language.

"She's here," Mori stated simply. The door opened and there was Haruhi.

"Haru-chan!" Hunny ran towards her with open arms. "Why didn't you tell us—"

Tamaki covered his mouth as Hikaru and Kaoru each grabbed an arm, pulling Hunny aside before he could blurt anything out.

"Tell you what?" Haruhi asked confused by their actions.

"Tell us that…" Kaoru thought for a moment.

"That the lord was bothering you yesterday!" Hikaru spouted.

Tamaki pointed to himself innocently.

"That's not right, lord…keeping our Haruhi to yourself…" the brothers teased, successfully changing the subject.

"Wh-what?! I didn't…_our_ Haruhi?!" By the time he looked back at them, Hikaru and Kaoru already had an arm each around Haruhi's shoulders.

"The lord has pulled this on many people. I'd advise you to steer clear," they whisper to Haruhi, although keeping the frequency high enough for just about everyone in the room to hear.

"Stop misleading her!" Tamaki demanded helplessly.

!5!

Jun sneakily looked through Kyouya;s notes. She finally found the test he took on the day he was late.

"100!? That can't be," Jun stared skeptically at the piece of paper.

"Does that surprise you?" Kyouya's voice rang down her back. Her initial reaction made her hide the test paper behind her back. Then she realized that he had seen everything already so she shoved the paper towards his face. "That's mine," the sarcasm was dripping in every syllable.

"You cheated," she accused, not once raising her voice above her usual tone.

"Were you snooping?"

"You couldn't have finished on time."

"You weren't stealing were you?"

Jun froze at the sudden realization that there was no way she could win this battle. She hated that look on his face that suggested the countless victories over battles of astuteness in the past. Sensing that she could no longer hold up her own calm façade, she walked past him.

"Next time, you'd have better luck locking me up," he smirked. The maid fumed, angered by his sudden display of cockiness. She couldn't retaliate for fear of losing her job, or her mother's job, better yet. Besides, her household depended on the money she makes, so she couldn't lose her job over something so silly.

!6!

"Shioya," one of the older maids called. "Can you wake the young master? His sister will be here soon."

"Okay," Jun sighed at having to see Kyouya again.

"Shioya," the old maid called again with a wavering tone.

"Anything else?" Jun asked.

"Be careful," the old maid warned sincerely.

Jun cocked a brow, unsure of what she meant by that warning. She shrugged it off and continued up the staircase.

She drew the curtains, allowing sunlight to hit the larvae of sheets on the bed. It's funny how such a composed person like Kyouya could have such childish sleeping habits. He was curled up in a mess of sheets looking as innocent as a newborn baby. It amazed her how he could be so different when he wasn't awake.

"Hey," she called out simply, hoping it would be adequate to wake him up. He did not respond. "Wake up," she ordered, a little louder this time. Still, she received no response. "What a heavy sleeper…"she mumbled to herself, walking toward his bed resolving to kick him awake. Then a better idea appeared in her mind. She decided that it was the best time to vent.

She made faces at his sleeping form, breaking away from her usual reserved ways.

"You think you're so smart? You're a pig…" she pushed the point of his nose back and laughed a rare laugh. Suddenly she felt his hand on her arms. She peered at his face but he still appeared to be sleeping. The grip on her arm tightened as he swiftly threw her onto his bed as he unconsciously rolled on top of her. Saying he's just a heavy sleeping may be a bit of an understatement.

"Get off!" she struggled to push him off but the sheets had somehow tangled her into the mess. Her right arm reached towards the nightstand accidentally knocking his glasses onto the floor. The lamp came down with it and a loud crash followed. Kyouya's eyes shot open. The first thing he saw was Jun's icy glare.

"Why are you here?"

"Get. Off." She hissed dangerously.

"Oh my! Am I interrupting something?" a voice by the door had unknowingly saved the two an argument.

"Onee-san," Kyouya acknowledged.

!A/N!

(Onee-san older sister) I really didn't want to throw in the random Japanese but it was more fitting to say onee-san over 'sister'. It's weird (in our culture) to call our brother, "brother" or our sister "sister". I mean seriously, how many times do you hear, "sister, are you coming home for dinner tonight?" or "hello brother, how is my sister-in law?"?

Culture parallels aside, it took me a long time to type this up because of many personal situations (not problems). I'd have to say that this chapter wasn't written as well as I intended, but I'm extremely impatient (towards myself) and I just have to have this done as soon as possible. Chapter four should be better (hopefully).

Thanks for the reviews! Keep'em coming (begging smile)! This chapter would have been further delayed if it wasn't for all the reviews of encouragement. Keep in mind that the more reviews there are, the faster I work. You have to feed the gerbil to get it running in order to light the light bulb. (heh, analogy).

Remember to check my profile for updates on my progress (if you're interested…or impatient like me). Oh, by the way, if you haven't noticed, I changed that god awful summary of mine. It's still awful but a little less awful than the first one. There's no room! I still can't seem to get it right. There's too little space.


	4. C4: Faltering Reply

**Chapter FOUR –**_Faltering Reply_

!1!

"Kyouya, as your sister, I have the responsibility to teach you a little bit about…relationships," Kyouya's sister, Fuyumi was mindful of the words she chose, hesitating before voicing her concerns.

Kyouya, could only sit and endure. His sister thought he was some kind of sex fiend. He doesn't blame her though. Anyone who walked in would think the same. They _were_ in a compromising, and highly suggestive position.

"I understand that she's a very pretty young woman, and that you're…that you're a hot-blooded young man, but you have to respect her and take things slowly."

"Onee-san, didn't you have a favor to ask of me?" Kyouya made an enervated attempt to change the subject. He rubbed the bridge of his nose as a habit, only to be reminded of his shattered spectacles.

"Kyouya! This is important too! At this rate you'll…you'll get kids before me—"

"You're interpreting the situation too deeply," Kyouya languidly ran his fingers through his hair. If he could, he'd explain, but he wasn't exactly awake to know what had got them in that position

"I'm not telling you not to…to do it, but you should protect—"

"If you're not going to get to the main topic, I have quite a lot of things to do today."

"Okay, okay…" Fuyumi surrendered. "My husband's biggest customer, Nakao Yasu's son, Nakao Junichi arrived in Japan for the first time two nights ago. Naturally his father is very worried, but Junichi refuses to accept any help. You see Junichi will inherit his father's business very soon, and he would be the one to receive my husband's partnership, but Junichi is a bit…playful. I want you to befriend him so that you can look after him."

"Befriend him?" Kyouya wasn't exactly Mr. Cuddly. He never really made friends. People made friends with him. He didn't make friends with Tamaki, Tamaki made friends with him.

"And monitor him to make sure he doesn't do anything that would embarrass the company…you know, stuff like that…" Fuyumi gave him a toothy grin. "You might like him; they call him the young business prodigy."

"How do I find this Nakao Junichi?" Kyouya sighed, knowing it must be important if his sister asked him for help.

"Well, we don't have his address, but we do know that he has been eating breakfast at the Waffle House every day since his arrival…"

"_Wafffle House again_?" Kyouya thought to himself.

"Also, as I've been told, he's about your height, with a similar build. He has short light brown hair. When you see him there are two things you'll notice: one, his dimples, and two, his colorful plaid triangular scarf. Hope that helps."

!2!

Kyouya walked his sister down to the exit.

"I'm just going to make a quick stop to the bathroom," she sprinted towards the direction of the guest bathroom.

"I'm leaving first," Kyouya announced before exiting.

Fuyumi arrived at the bathroom. There was that girl from this morning, washing her hands in the sink.

"Hello!" Fuyumi greeted excitedly.

"Madame," Jun bowed. "You can use it now," she moved out of the bathroom, keeping her head down. As composed as she portrayed herself to be, she was a girl deep down, and she was embarrassed for herself. It wasn't quite the best first impression. Although she doesn't like to admit that she cares about what other people think, deep down she is very mindful of her actions. She didn't like Kyouya for his manipulative eloquence. The last thing she wanted was for people to think she gave herself to him in hopes of gaining his wealth.

"You're so polite," she studied her face. "Pretty as well, but I bet you'd look even better if you'd smile a bit," Fuyumi concluded with a grin on her face.

"Thank you Madame."

Fuyumi walked into the bathroom, just as she was about to close the door, she paused as if something struck her still. She turned around to face the young maid and leaned towards her ear, whispering, "Make sure he uses protection."

!3!

Later that night, Kyouya returned home late. He headed towards the guest bathroom as it was raining outside and he didn't want to leave a dirty trail to his room. Once he opened the lights something shiny caught his eyes. He followed the twinkle and met with a diamond studded ring sitting flirtatiously by the sink. He picked it up and studied it. It was real.

"Onee-san must have left it," he decided that no one else in the house would have a diamond ring, although he vaguely recalled his sister's wedding band having a much larger diamond. He concluded that she must have bought another one herself just for the rush of adrenaline that comes with buying expensive things. He put it in his pocket and decided to keep it for her in the meantime.

!4!

The third music room was filled with whispers, a stark contrast from the usually cheerful atmosphere. The cause was none other than the presence of Haruhi's strange date to the year end ball. This girl was known in the school for her powerful mood swings. The drastic upheavals of her disposition had everyone concluding that she was lacking a bit in the area of sanity.

"Haruhi-kun, I've been eating a lot these couple of days. I eat when I'm nervous, you know? Do I look fat?" she asked, smoothing the bodice of her dress.

"Don't answer, Haruhi! It's a trick question!" Tamaki shouted in a whisper. Whispers can only travel so far. Taking account the distance between the couch Tamaki was hiding behind and the chair Haruhi was sitting in, reaching Haruhi seemed a bit impossible.

"No, you don't look fat," Haruhi assured from the bottom of her heart. The naturally sprouted smile on her face indicated her genuine intentions.

"LIES!" the girl's tone of voice dropped to a demonic low, sending shivers down the eavesdropping hosts' backs. "Tell me the truth," she demanded in the same chilling voice. "Am I fat?"

Tamaki stood up from his hiding spot and waltzed over to the two, hoping his princely charms would captivate even the crazy part of the girl.

"Sakura-chan, you look as lovely as ever today. Can I offer you a drink?"

"I'm FULL! Why won't you believe that I'm full? Is it because I'm fat and always hungry?" she growled.

"That's not what I meant…" Tamaki's confidence deflated a bit.

"Sakura-chan, you're not fat, you're thin," Hunny joined, attempting to reverse the situation. Not only was he unable to reverse the situation, but he worsened it.

"So I'm anorexic now?" she propelled her head towards Hunny, shrinking him back. "Do I look like a skeleton!?"

"No!" Hunny ran behind Mori who readied himself in a defensive stance.

"Sakura-san, can I offer my advice?" Kyouya finally decided to save his fellow club mates. He had a cool smile on his face.

"Yes, Kyouya-kun?" the girl suddenly turned very meek. In fact, Kyouya was her favorite, but he seemed too out of reach with the cool air emitting from his being. Besides, he wasn't available for designation.

"You have a good complexion," he complimented, causing the girl to touch her blushing cheeks in bliss. "You should accentuate it by increasing the antioxidant levels in your diet. You should try our green tea. It's one hundred percent organic and full of antioxidants…"

"I…I would love to," she squeaked, unable to look him in the eye as her cheeks were burning red.

"Tamaki," Kyouya signaled Tamaki to get it.

"If it's not too much trouble, can you get it instead?" the girl interrupted before Tamaki was able to react.

Hikaru and Kaoru had to bite their tongues in order to keep from bursting out in laughter as Tamaki's ego blew up.

!5!

"Well it just confirms that she's crazy," Kaoru concluded, still trying hard to contain his laugh.

"But at least she knows what she doesn't like," Hikaru and Kaoru angled their eyes towards the darkened Tamaki and finally gave in, laughing in his face.

"Tama-chan, don't be upset," Hunny comforted.

Tamaki was mumbling to himself. "Have I lost my charm?" He took out a mirror from his back pocket and smiled at his reflection. "No, even I'm drawn to myself. How could it be that she doesn't seem to like me?" Tamaki put his mirror back as Hunny backed away, with 'concerned' written all over his face. "I know she's crazy, but attraction is universal…"

Hunny noticed Haruhi sitting quietly by the side looking very bothered. She was quite startled by her supposed date. If the truth was mistaken as a lie, then is a lie the truth? She knit her brows together, confused by her own thoughts. "But she really isn't fat," Haruhi muttered to herself. Some people were just too abstruse.

Hunny suddenly felt that Haruhi and Tamaki were quite similar in their naïveté. As much as Tamaki would like to believe that he understood women, there are just some things that perplexed him.

"She was so scary," Hunny commented, thinking back at her scary face hovering over him. "Haru-chan, are you sure you want to go through with this?"

"I already accepted," Haruhi said as firm as she could manage, even though her heart was filled with doubts and hesitation, such that she could not understand.

"Haruhi," Tamaki seemed to have decided on something as he had stopped mumbling. "I'll get you out of this for sure."

She didn't understand what was bothering her. It wouldn't have bothered her before. There was something about Tamaki's determination to intrude that stirred her. She didn't understand why she was so tentative ever since Tamaki's visit during the weekend. She was fine with everything in the beginning but his sincere drive to 'save' her made her uncertain. She didn't understand why he was so determined...

…but it wasn't such a bad feeling…

Maybe she wanted to be saved.

!6!

Kyouya made his way to his private bathroom to remove his contact lens. Since his glasses were broken, he hadn't the time to get new ones. Once he removed his contacts, nothing seemed to have a definite shape or line anymore. He returned to his room. Coincidentally, Jun was wiping his windows. He didn't really want to see her, so he turned to go somewhere else.

He paused. This was ridiculous; there was no reason for him to avoid a maid. If anything she should be the one to avoid him. He turned back just in time to catch Jun turning back to the window.

She saw him, without a doubt, but she just wasn't acknowledging him. He ignored her as well, sitting comfortably on his computer chair.

"Hey," Jun hated herself for having a heavy conscience. Because of her honest upbringing and heightened sense of values, she felt obligated, since it was sort of her fault that they got that way. If she hadn't been so bent on making a fool out of the sleeping Kyouya, none of this would have happened. "Here," she pulled out a new pair of the same broken glasses and handed it to Kyouya with a tinge of reluctance.

Kyouya held the pair in his hands. It looked like his glasses but he didn't trust everything about it. She couldn't have got them fixed for him. She would if anything, give his glasses another foot in the lens.

"I broke your glasses, so I'm obligated to compensate," she explained, averting her eyes to the floor, muttering, "unlike some people…"

Kyouya thought for a moment and reached for his wallet. "Take what you paid," he handed his wallet to her.

Jun's expression turned from surprise to tentative to disgust. "You think I have ulterior motives don't you?"

Kyouya's expression did not falter, although she read his mind. As a realist, he doesn't believe someone of lower status would do such an expensive favor for someone of higher status without a reward in mind.

"I may be poor, but I'm not petty," she pushed his hands away after defeating the greedier part of her mind. It was a hard decision as she could really put that money to good use, but dignity got the better of her. "So stop looking down on me."

Suddenly Kyouya's phone rang, interrupting the awkward conversation. Jun took the chance to take a leave as Kyouya answered the phone.

"What is it?" Kyouya answered the phone having read Tamaki's name on the screen.

"Kyouya, I just thought of something!" Tamaki paused for a reply.

"What is it?" Kyouya repeated, the jadedness riding over.

"Well since Sakura-chan likes you so much, I was wondering if—"

"—if I could replace Haruhi as her date?"

"Exactly! How did you know?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Don't involve me."

"You're so cold!"

"Think of another plan."

"We can make her fall in love with someone else…" Tamaki voiced his thoughts. "Where are you?" Tamaki asked having heard some distant voices in the background.

"I'll talk to you later," Kyouya hung up.

"Kyou—"

Kyouya was distracted by the sound of loud accusations downstairs. He followed the noise to find the root of the disturbance. He saw that the maids had gathered in the kitchen and Jun and a middle aged maid stood in the middle. The middle-aged maid had a fierce expression on her face as Jun stood calmly in front of her.

"Give me back my ring," the middle aged woman demanded, sticking her hand out before her.

"I don't have your ring." Jun insisted with her usual poise.

"You sold it!" the woman accused.

"I didn't."

"Stop lying! I know it was you! You used the bathroom after me! You're in need of money the most, so you must have used the money!"

"I didn't take your ring," Jun was beginning to lose her composure as she balled her hands into fists by her side. The one thing she disliked the most was being accused. "Don't accuse me if you don't have proof."

"Proof? You used the money to pay for the young master's glasses to win his favor!"

"I used my own money," the irritation in her voice was apparent although her face remained wooden.

"Look, I understand your situation, but I bought that ring with my own hard-earned money. I'm not young like you. I can't offer my body to win the young master's favor."

"What are you implying?" the anger rose to her chest. She was trying hard to swallow the lump of fury in her throat.

"Everyone knows what you've done. You've seduced your way into the young master's bed. I don't know what your mother taught you, but as your elder, I want to remind you of how shameless such an act is."

"I have done nothing shameless, so don't bring my mother into this," Jun's eyes were burning with stubborn tears as she stared intensely at the woman in front of her.

"Stealing isn't shameless?"

"I didn't take your ring," Jun repeated firmly but helplessly.

"Is this your ring?" Kyouya stood in front of the shaking girl and pulled out the ring he found.

"Yes, that's mine," the middle aged woman cautiously reached for her ring. If he had been here all along, he must have heard all the things she said about him and Jun. She couldn't tell what he was thinking as his intentions were masked by an erratic smile. "Th-thank you young master," the middle aged maid bowed nervously.

"You can stay home tomorrow," Kyouya maintained that erratic smile as the woman stared back in horror and regret.

"I'm sorry! Don't fire me! I'll apologize to her," the women turned towards Jun, bowing deeply. "I'm sorry, I was wrong!"

"You still don't get it do you?" Kyouya shed his smile as he turned expressionless.

"I'm sorry for talking behind your back!" the woman got on her knees and bowed to him.

"I dislike people like you," Kyouya turned his back to her, walking off with an air of ruthlessness.

!A/N!

Believe it or not, this chapter has been done for a while, but I just didn't have time to type and edit it. I've been extremely busy this past couple of days, and it was hard to find time to even type.

This chapter is quite Kyouya and Jun centric because I wanted them to develop mutual respect. I'm taking it slow for Haruhi and Tamaki. That's all I'm going to say about the story, because I don't want to accidentally spoil something. But ahhh...what a dramatic ending...haha.

Anyway, thank you for reviewing and enjoy the read. Keep them coming, because without reviews, I might as well be a snail.


	5. C5: Accidents Happen

**Chapter FIVE –**_Accidents Happen_

!1!

Tamaki felt important. It occurred to him that he might actually be on good terms with Ranka. At least now, he is not only Ranka's sworn enemy, but also a reliable ally. Tamaki could not stifle the cocky little smile that sprang upon his face. After all, _he_ was chosen, amongst countless others, to assist in correcting a regrettable mistake. Although by countless others, he means Kyouya, it didn't matter because Ranka called him with the utmost urgency an okama can portray to a former enemy.

(_Flashback_)

_Tamaki's phone rang and he picked up._

"_Bonjour! You have been graced with the voice of Suoh Tamaki! To whom, may I ask, am I speaking—"_

"_DAMN IT! No one introduces themselves with 'you have been graced'—" the okama screamed irritably into the phone._

"_Ranka-san?"_

"_Seriously, I don't know why I even bothered with you!"_

"_Gomen, gomen…"_

"_If this situation didn't turn out so creepy, I swear I would have buried you alive!"_

"_Ranka-san, did something happen to Haruhi?" Tamaki heard him sigh on the other end of the line._

"_It's a good thing I was able to intercept her mail this time…"_

_Tamaki gasped, "You opened her mail!? Every parent suffers from the need to invade their child's privacy!"_

"_Shut up. I know what I did. The point is the contents of this mail. It still brings me the chills…"_

"_W-what did you see?"_

"_A-ha! You're curious as well, you hypocrite!"_

_Tamaki sighed in defeat, "Gomen-nasai."_

"_It's a picture…of a hideous…grotesque…baby."_

"_Oh my God! Who's baby is it?"_

"_Let me FINISH!"_

"_Gomen-nasai."_

"_Well, it's obviously computerized but the captions say, 'Sakura plus Haruhi equals Haruka.'."_

"_Heeeeh!?"_

"_Just come see for yourself."_

(_End of flashback_)

!2!

Here he was again. He reflexively recognized the familiar smell of pancake mix and syrup. He looked around. It was already two in the afternoon, yet the place was fairly packed. He didn't understand why people would want waffles for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

"Welcome to the waffle house!" A waitress greeted cheerfully. Kyouya flashed a slight smile, immediately prompting the waitress to blush a bright shade of pink. "R-right this way," the flustered waitress led him to a window seat.

"Actually, I'm going to sit here," Kyouya seated himself in the near center.

The waitress was surprised and crestfallen by his decision. "O-okay…" She left him a menu and reluctantly left his side. Since she was not supposed to wait this table, she had no other choice but to give him to the waitress in charge of this table. "Jun-chan, you have a customer," she sighed.

Shioya Jun took out her notepad and walked towards the said customer. She knew something was off as soon as she recognized the back of Kyouya's head.

"He's probably going to rub in my defeat," she bitterly thought. Truth was she wasn't ready to face him. She was embarrassed that he had saved her. She didn't want to admit that her name would not be cleared without his help. However, she knew he didn't do it to help her; he was helping himself. He must be here to flaunt his supremacy over her. Yet again he didn't seem to be that kind of person but she really could not think of any other reason for his visit. She was perplexed. What could he possibly want? Surely, he is not here for the waffles…

She inhaled deeply and plastered on her 'work-smile.'

"Hello, are you ready to order?"

"Shioya, you seem better today," Kyouya's slight smile played upon his lips. Although in reality such a statement edged between superficial and almost even innocuous, all Jun heard from that greeting was pure mockery and conceit.

"Today's special is the green tea, strawberry waffle combo which includes a drink of your choice," Jun ignored his previous comment, deciding to keep her feelings to herself during work hours.

"Fine, I'll take that," Kyouya subtly grinned with amusement.

"Thank you sir, your order will be ready soon," her attention was diverted with the entering of another customer. "Excuse me." She left to wait the new customer.

Kyouya was pleased to find that his target had arrived. Nakao Junichi had finally appeared. His dimples were visible the moment Jun greeted him with one of her work-based-smiles. As she seated him in the table beside Kyouya, he noticed his colorful scarf stuffed in a deliberately sloppy manner in his back pocket.

"Ah Jun-san, what a coincidence that every time I come here, you are my waitress," he laughed as she handed him the menu "I hope you don't mind me calling you Jun-san…it's just that my name is Junichi and you know…we both have the Jun…HAHAHA…" he laughed sheepishly to cover up his own embarrassment. Jun released a rare but genuine smile, causing Junichi to get flustered. "It's alright, Junichi-san, would you like anything to drink first?"

Kyouya smirked having witnessed the scene in the shadows. Things just got a lot simpler when he knew his target may be interested in his maid. He chuckled to himself, realizing that Jun seemed to only be spiteful towards him. She was certainly prejudiced against him, having formed a stubborn bias against him during their first meeting. He did not intend to change her opinion on him but he found it to be strangely humorous. He had a peculiar feeling that his already _dazzling_ life was about to get even more entertaining.

Jun returned with Junichi's drink.

"A-ano…Jun-san…excuse me if this may sound sudden or rude even, but I just wanted to know…um…your age," Junichi nervously looked up at Jun with hope twinkling in his eyes.

Jun paused for a moment. "I'm 18," she replied awkwardly.

A flash of relief swept across his face, "Do you work part-time here or full-time?"

"Part-time…" she answered, a bit uncomfortable with his sudden interest in her personal life.

"So you go to school when you're not working?" Junichi continued to fire his questions, failing to note her immediate change in disposition.

Jun's face darkened as the atmosphere suddenly turned bitterly cold. "Excuse me," she managed to say before walking away with the dark cloud hovering above her crown.

"Did I say something wrong?" Junichi wondered, confused by her reaction.

"She doesn't go to school," Kyouya finally made his presence known. Junichi turned his attention towards Kyouya. "She also works part-time as a maid in my household."

Junichi's eyes widened. "She already has to work all day?" his eyes turned sympathetic. "By the way, I'm Nakao Junichi," he extended his hand.

"Ootori Kyouya," Kyouya extended his own hand to shake Junichi's.

!3!

Just as Tamaki was but a block away from Haruhi's home, he sees none other than Haruhi herself, walking by the sidewalk. She didn't notice him though.

"Ranka-san must have deliberately sent her out so that he can discuss with me privately," he reasoned. He did not think too deeply into this until he noticed the garbage can moving.

His breathing became fast and uneven as he watched in horror, the moving garbage can. What's worst, the possessed trash receptacle was following Haruhi.

As if it wasn't creepy enough, a head sprang up from within the trash can. The head was the home to the magnificently insane brain of Sakura. Tamaki's mouth gapped open as he realized the extent of this girl's determination to gain entrance into Haruhi's heart. He feared for Haruhi's safety. If this Sakura was obsessed enough to stalk Haruhi from the inside of a trash can, she's mad enough to do anything excessively fanatical.

Tamaki got out of his car, opting to protect Haruhi on foot, from afar. He quietly followed the Haruhi-stalking trash can.

Haruhi finally enters some sort of shopping center. Sakura crawls out of the garbage can and dusts herself off.

"She's going to show herself to Haruhi now!" Tamaki gasped. He quickly followed her in, successfully dodging attention with the assistance of a trucker cap.

She did exactly what Tamaki expected her to do—she pretended to have come to the same place at the same time, coincidentally when Haruhi was here. She latches herself onto Haruhi's arm as Haruhi uncomfortably and probably fearfully walked along.

Tamaki balled up his fist in frustration. If he made his presence known, he did not know how the bizarre Sakura would react. First of all, she disliked him. Second, Haruhi would not be too pleased to find that he had been following her.

Sakura seemed to have spotted something because she practically dragged Haruhi down the escalator with her, conveniently knocking over a boy with a bunch of fliers. Tamaki sprinted forward in order not to lose sight of them. He figured she must have seen the sticky photo booth downstairs. He didn't know what came over him, but just the mere thought of Haruhi taking sticky photos with Sakura unsettled him. After all sticky photos were symbolic of closeness and tightness of friendship, love, or family. Sakura belonged in none of the above. Besides, he reasoned, Haruhi should not be forced to take these photos of love against her will, undermining his inner mind's reasoning that _he_ should be the one taking sticky photos with Haruhi because only _he_ can qualify. Jealousy? Folly!

As he was too immersed in his thoughts, he failed to notice the fliers sprawled across the floor. He slipped on one, right by the entrance of the down escalator, prompting him to fall head over heels down the escalator.

The mall turned silent having witnessed a potentially serious accident. The shoppers began to panic as soon as the mall security ran over to the groaning Tamaki who was clutching his right leg in pain.

The commotion of course, did not escape the attention of Haruhi, who witnessed the final stage of Tamaki's accident.

Initially, the shock glued her to her spot. Her second thought was denial that it was Tamaki. Finally by her third thought, she was convinced by his voice laced with excruciating pain. She rushed over to his side without another thought.

"Tamaki-senpai!" The worry and terror was evident in her shaking eyes as Tamaki curled up in unspeakable pain before passing out. She had never felt so helpless before. She could almost feel his pain, by being next to him. In addition to this pain she was feeling a strange twinge of pain radiating from the deepest crevices of her heart. She didn't know why her heart felt so uncomfortable. She felt compelled to hold him in her arms. Without her mind's consent, her body moved on its own. At the moment, she only wanted to take away his pains. She held him comfortingly until the paramedics arrived.

She went into the ambulance with him. Although he was unresponsive at the moment, she could not stop repeating, "You'll be fine senpai. Stay strong!"

!4!

After conversing more with Junichi, Kyouya realized that he really did not know much about Shioya Jun. Junichi seemed genuinely interested in her but Kyouya did not understand why. She was just an ordinary girl. There was nothing exceptional about her. She was not stunningly beautiful although, as Junichi and his own sister remarked, her potential for beauty is not to be underestimated. She was not at the genius level of intelligence although her eyes suggest the presence of her cleverness. The only thing worth mentioning about Shioya Jun was her stubborn personality and maybe her family background, which Kyouya realized he really did not bother to look into.

After exchanging contacts with Junichi, Junichi finally left.

Jun sits across from Kyouya.

"Are you sure you can sit down with your customer?" Kyouya raised his left brow.

"I'm on my break," she replied curtly without making eye contact. "Thank you."

"Thank you for?"

"For yesterday…"

"I don't accept."

"W-what?!" the bewildered Jun sputtered, not expecting to hear such a reply.

"I don't tend to like verbal displays of gratitude. I prefer actions over words," Kyouya smirks as he takes a sip of his tea.

"What do you mean?" Jun asked, trying to keep her face straight so not to display her weakness.

"I mean, you owe me," Kyouya's artificially cheerful face scared her, although she would never admit it. There was absolutely no way she would know what this shadow king was thinking. She was at loss for words. She didn't know what worst than to be indebted to the most eloquent master of manipulation.

Their conversation was interrupted by the simultaneous ringing of both party's phones.

"I'm coming right away!" Jun pocketed her phone in haste and made a mad dash for the door.

"I'll be there soon," Kyouya answered calmly before hanging up and leaving right behind Jun.

Jun was fidgety and nervous for whatever reason. She was looking around frantically for a taxi or a bus to come but none came. She noticed Kyouya getting into the back seat of his car. Without another thought she slipped in the car, sitting right next to Kyouya in the backseat. There was no time to think about her pride when her mother was in the hospital. She would rather swallow her dignity than waste another second.

Kyouya's expression showed little trace of surprise as she barged in next to him. His driver looked upon him for further instructions and Kyouya just nodded.

"Please. Hospital," Jun choked out in a whisper as if any more words would break her apart."

"The same one, Ootori-sama?" The driver asked.

"Yes." Kyouya nodded. He looked at the girl from the corner of his eyes. She was a portrait of remorseful child and he knew nothing behind it.

!A/N!

It's been a whole year huh? I don't know what happened. I just could not seem to make up my mind about this story until just recently. Sad isn't it? But the moral of this story is there is no writer's block too vicious to overcome. Only patience and time will bring one to victory. I apologize for the long wait. Now I wonder when the next chapter is going to come out…


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